Fastener for cotton-bale bands.



J. P. CAIN.

FASTENER FOR COTTON BALE BANDS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 6. 1915.

Patnted Sept. 10,1918.

Elm/gamma JAMES PATRICK CAIN, 0F SINTO'N, TEXAS.

FASTENEB FOR COTTON-BALE BANDS.-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES P. CAIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sinton, in the county of San Patricio and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Fas tener for Cotton-Bale Bands; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to the art of cotton baling, and particularly to a new and useful fastener for the metal bands or straps.

Heretofore in baling cotton, it is found that the old form or style .of fastener very often becomes broken, especially upon heavy baling, thereby necessitating the bale to be put through the press a second or third time to be rebanded, and moreover in the old method, ten ortwelve bands are necessarily used upon heavy bales (which are thoroughly and compactly compressed) to hold the bale properly compressed, and maintain the required density. Moreover, in certain sections of the country, for instance, the

State of Texas, a law has been enacted against what are termed spiders on bale cotton. In other words in the old method the bands are so applied on the bale, and severed or cut, thereby leaving jagged or sharp portions, which more or less injure the hands, when handling the bale. This law carries a penalty of $250.00 for each spider that may be discovered on a bale, therefore it will be seen under what expense or liabilities cotton is baled.

Therefore, as an object of the present invention it is the aim to overcome the foregoing difliculties and disadvantages, by providing an improved fastener, so constructed that the adjacent ends of the bands may be securely fastened, and leave no spiders or jagged portions on the bale, and at the same time to provide a fastener, which, when used in conjunction with the bands, fewer bands will be rtquired for the baling of cotton. 7

In practical fields the details of construction may necessitate alterations. falling within the scope of what is claimed.

The invention comprises further features and combination of parts, as hereinafter set -forth, shown in the drawings and claimed.

In the drawings 4 Figure 1 is a V1??? showing a bale of cot Specification of Letters Patent. P t t d Se t, 19, 191 Application filed February 6, 1915. Serial No. 6,501. I

tions of a cotton bale band, and 3 the fastener, which connects the two adjacent ends. This fastener comprises a metallic plate of rectangular shape, which is provided with two elongated openings 4 and 5. The end 1 portion 1 of the band is passed through the opening 4, and then bent as shown at 6, thereby securely fastening the same as shown. This connection is made, and then the band is passed about the bale, as it leaves the press. The other end of the band is then bent to form the U-shaped hook 7. The portion 8 of the plate is deflected as shown, and it willbe observed that the bar 9 between the two openings 4 and 5 is severed, to form an open connection as shown at 10 between the openings 4 and 5.- In this manner the bar 9 forms two lugs,-with which the U-shaped hook portion 7 of the band engages. It will be observed that the openings 4 and 5 are substantially of the same length, however, one end of the opening 4 is constructed V-shaped as shown at 11, there being adjoining shoulders 12 and 13, and between the shoulder 12 and the other end of the opening 4, the bent part of the end 1 of the band engages, thereby preventing lateral play of the band. The fold or bent part 14 of the hook 7 of the band engages between the shoulder -13 and the other end of the opening 5 as at 15, to likewise prevent lateral play. One of the lugs 16 of the bar 9 is deflected upwardly out of alinement with the opposite lug, so that as the bale leaves the press, and the band is passed about the same, with the fastener attached to the end 1 of the band, the hook 7 may be disposed on a slight angle and passed between said lug, and then by disposing the hook 7 in a horizontal plane substantially, and releasing it, the edge 19 of the fold of the hook will slide against the inclined edge 20 of the V shaped end of the opening 4, thereby allowing the hook 7 to engage between the shoulder 13 and the other end of the opening 4,

in the manner shown in Fig. 1. 7 In the drawings the steps employed in fastening the hook 7 are clearly disclosed. It willbe seen that when connecting the hook 7 the edge 19 of thefold engages the apex of the V-shaped end ofthe opening 4-, and by slightly pressing said hook 7 in order to maintain this en'- gagement, the hook will remain in'such positions, until it is thrown substantially horizontally, and then by releasing said pressure the hook 7 will slide down the-incline and make the engagement secure.

The bar 21 f the fastener, and which is adjacent the elongated opening or slot acts to strengthen the entire fastener, notonly reinforcing the fastener, thereby preventing the fastener from becoming broken or destructible,.but also preventing the band from becoming twisted or displaced, to such an vextent that the part 22 will not project laterally which would otherwise cause or form spider :or jagged projection, which would 111111113: the hand. If it were not for the bar 21, the fastener would become distorted to such an extent that the side portions would spread laterally, owing to the tightness of the band, and furthermore if the side 7 portions should become distorted, that is, if

ing laterally.

the bar 21 was not employed, one end-of the band would become detached. However, since the bar 21 is utilized, the side portions of the fastener are prevented from spread- The invention having been set forth, what 1s claimed as new'and useful is 7 A bale band fastener, comprising a substantially rectangular plate having a pair of transversely disposed elongated openings arranged 1n parallelism, one of said openlngs at one end havlng a'V-shaped portion,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for and the opposite edge wallsof said opening iml'nediately adjacent said V-shaped portion havingdirectly opposing shoulders, there- ,by preventing the opposite looped ends of a bale band from riding the inclined edges of said V-shaped portion, whereby interfer ence of one looped end with the other, isprevented when onelooped end is caused to engage an inclined edge of said V-shaped portion, the end ofthe'opening oppositesaid V-shaped opening being rectangular, the other opening :being rectangular in contour corresponding in length with the first des'c'ribed opening,said plate having a pair of lugs intermediate said openings, one extending toward the other, and a portion ofthe other being deflected outwardly from the plane of theplate, whereby onelooped end of a bale band'may engage therewith and one of the inclined edges of theV-shaped portion in order that said looped end may engage the opposite lug,-between the shoulder adjacent the deflected lug and therectangular end of the opening having the V- shaped portion, the portion of theplate having therectangular opening froma art a'd-- acent said lugs being deflected or ent toward the bale, thereby permitting the looped five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,-

Washington, 10. 

